#Her as the Yeti was priceless

[robbybirdy]

Chapter 138 - Lemon Meringue Pie

Sul Sul, Gerbits! Today we are going to be making a very special recipe for me. This recipe kind of scared me. But I wanted to make it, to remember my mom. One of her favorite flavors was lemon. And her favorite pie is a Lemon Meringue pie. 

And that is what we are going to be making today. We are going to be following the Betty Crocker recipe. The recipe and description will be in the description down below.

The first thing we are going to do is make the pie crust. You can either have a store-bought one or you can make it yourself. Whichever you choose. I like homemade pie crusts. Rolling the pie crust out helps with anxiety. 

Let’s start baking. In a medium-size bowl, you are going to mix your flour and salt. 

Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or a fork. You want to cut the shortening until the mixture looks like a bunch of small peas in the bowl.

Next, you are going to add 1 tablespoon at a time of ice-cold water. The ice-cold water helps with the flakiness that everyone loves on a pie crust. Do this until you can form a ball. 

On a floured surface you are going to shape the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap. And either put it in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes or place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. 

This recipe is a little bit different from other pies. Because you have to bake the pie crust before you bake the pie itself. 

So after 20 minutes or so, take your pie crust out of the freezer. On a lightly floured surface, you are going to roll the crust out. You want to roll it out to about 2 inches larger than a 9-inch pie plate. 

Place the pie crust into the pie plate. Trim any overhang that you may have. Make sure to prick the bottom of the crust so that it can bake evenly. If you don’t do this then you may have a few bubbles. 

Bake the crust for about 13 to 15 minutes or until it is light brown. Cool it on a cooling rack. 

Now we are going to start on the pie filling. You need to reduce the oven to 350℉.

In a small-sized bowl, you are going to beat the egg yolks with a fork. 

In a saucepan, mix 1 ½ cups of sugar and the cornstarch. Gradually stir in the water. Cook it over medium heat. Stirring Constantly. Until this mixture thickens and boils. Make sure that you boil and stir for 1 minute. 

Now we are going to temper the eggs. And to do that you are going to whisk at least half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Stir back into the hot mixture in a saucepan. 

Return to a boil. And the mixture constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

Now we are going to stir in the butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice with a whisk. Cover the saucepan and keep it warm. 

Onto the fun part of the pie. There are two types of people in this world. The ones who like making meringue and the ones who are afraid/don’t like making meringue. I would classify myself as being the first. There is just something so fascinating in making a meringue. 

To make the meringue you are going to need a medium-sized bowl. Beat your egg whites and cream of tartar. Some meringue recipes have the cream of tartar and others don’t. Just remember to look at the recipe. 

You are going to whisk them together with an electric mixer on high until it is foamy. 

Now we are going to add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Make sure that you scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is incorporated properly. 

Continue beating the egg whites until the peaks are stiff and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.

Generally, fold the egg whites onto the lemon filling. 

Bake the pie for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the meringue is browned. 

Cool it on a cooling rack and refrigerate it. And enjoy. 

I am not much of a lemon fan. But my gosh was this a fun pie to bake. It was time-consuming but I didn’t care I just wanted to make this in remembrance of my mom. Briella Flores Ponder. Love you mom. 

I hope you all like this recipe. Make sure to like and subscribe for more recipes like this one in the future. And yes, I am dying in this costume. Who honestly would believe that a Yeti would be in Sulani. Sheesh. This is so warm! *haha* 

Thank you for watching. Vadish, Dag Dag!

previous / next

Breakfast with Cordelia Description

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-lemon-meringue-pie/8f991b88-55b0-4740-b12c-251958d663a6

https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-make-pie-crust

[rhythmantics]

The Secret Saturdays Iceberg

Original iceberg here.

Jay Stephens’ answers on the Toonzone Forums here, his Insta here, blogspot here. List of comics here.

THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!

“I watched a couple episodes while it was still airing”

What most people know about Secret Saturdays from having seen it a couple times when it was on. It’s a children’s cartoon.

Doc and Drew have an exchange that goes “when have I ever done anything rash or irresponsible?” “I keep a list. It’s alphabetized,” which has plagued incorrect quotes blogs for years. Many people know the quote without knowing the show it’s from.

“I watched it through to the end”

This tier is about stuff you know about how hard the show goes once you watch it through the first time.

All cryptids in the show are based on real-life cryptids, mythological creatures, or prehistoric animals: true with a single-digit number of exceptions. The TSS wiki has done a really good job of cataloguing them.

Children die on-screen: both Zak Monday AND Zak Saturday die on-screen. It’s great.

Sneople: nagas.

Clone: Francis is a fucking clone! Holy shit!

Fisk has actual dialogue: This one actually belongs in the “I followed Jay Stephens” tier, as he has revealed that Fisk is written actual lines in the script, which are then translated to “Fisk-speak” by the voice actor.

Cheechoo is Inuit / Beeman is autistic / It’s the glasses: Cheechoo wears traditional inuit sunglasses, and also references the far north of Canada as being his “ancestral home” and having grown up there.

Beeman, meanwhile, has a hard time picking up on social cues (”he’s a little rude to everybody,” Jay once said on the Toonzone forums, confirming that Beeman isn’t acting like that because he dislikes Zak or anything -- in fact, he acts the same way even when he’s actively trying to bond with Zak over his fake UFO footage), has a really good time watching hours of (what most consider boring) footage related to his particular interest, and his glasses are probably tinted pink to deal with photosensitivity, a common symptom.

Wadi is Bedouin: The Bedouin are nomadic Arab tribes that live in the desert. So, like. Yeah.

Last will and testament of a guy who drowned: Zak and Doyle find the titular will in the episode where a lake is trying to hunt and kill them, left behind by someone that the lake has previously hunted and killed.

DNA brothers: Do you guys remember the episode where Zak, Fisk, and Komodo all get spliced together? Was that fucked up or what

Forgot to put this one on there but do you guys remember when Argost dressed up in an SS uniform look-alike to taunt the Saturdays in Once More the Nightmare Factory? Incredible.

“I read some character analyses”

This tier is all about realizing the full implications of the stuff they show in this children’s cartoon where they can’t say the word “kill.”

Serial killer that keeps trophies: I think Van Rook literally expresses disgust over how Argost kept trophies during his yeti era. Incidentally, this means Van Rook has ALSO killed multiple people, since at least he doesn’t keep trophies, lol.

Doyle has probably killed people and is definitely a felon: Doyle is cut short before he can elaborate on how many places he has a criminal record; he’s definitely stolen priceless cultural artifacts and other goods well above the felony limit, he has a story he doesn’t give Zak the full details of because “then things get messy. Let’s just say the bird and I took care of it.” Not to mention how many times Zak’s parents stress to him that Doyle has lived a dirty life, and he’s done many bad, bad things. Doyle has killed people you can’t change my mind.

Doc was Drew’s rebound romance: Drew dated Van Rook in college, presumably broke up with him when she realized he was studying archaeology so that he could steal artifacts to sell, and later wound up with Doc. She’s in her 30′s-or-so according to Jay (while Doc is in his 40′s-or-so) and her kid is 11 at the start of the story. She’s a “trained archaeologist,” meaning she’s probably got a PhD after at least 5, 6 years of college (she's a genius, so I wouldn't be surprised if she got it sooner than the usual 8 years We know she's an archaeologist from the Field Guide). So there’s a reasonable buffer of a few years between her dating Van Rook and her meeting Doc while mountain-climbing (Doc mentions this is how they met in the blue tiger episode), so he’s not necessarily her rebound romance exactly, but it’s funnier to word it that way.

Doc really thought Munya killed his family: In Once More the Nightmare Factory, when Doc reaches Munya after being separated by his family, Munya takes the tokens with Doc’s family’s faces on them and throws them in the trash to taunt him. Doc proceeds to go berserk and kick Munya’s ass (and nearly choke that bitch Argost out), while screaming that Argost took “everything” from him. So they can’t, like, have Doc actually SAY “you killed my family, you bitch!” but that is definitely what he was thinking. I also want to note here that part of Doc’s specific baggage throughout the episode is that he blames himself for the 43 secret scientists that died the first time they tried to assault Weird World - people who were his colleagues, if not his friends - so just keep that in mind when Doyle comes in later to rub in Doc’s face how easy it is to break in.

On that note, RIP the 43 secret scientists that died the first time they tried to assault Weird World.

The nagas were really gonna let them die: In the Legion of Garuda, Zak tricks the nagas into letting him into their sanctum by having his parents fight the Secret Scientists above the river, while pretending to the nagas that he’s decided to switch sides because the humans won’t stop coming after him. The nagas let him in and promise to help his family, but once Zak is out of earshot, Rani Nagi tells her guards to leave Zaks’ parents to their fate. “Give the boy a tragedy to avenge.” Bruh.

RIP Von Finster: RIP to the scorpion man, who was definitely killed after Argost caught him to silence him since he knew things about Argost’s past. This is what they meant when they said that people who know things about Argost were “disappearing,” and why Von Finster was so scared.

RIP Mizuki’s body: why does Mizuki in hibagon’s body cry out in rage when he sees his human body crushed under the rubble? Because that body is actually a corpse, man! On that note, RIP Ulraj’s dad, forgot about that one.

RIP xing-xing: so apparently the xing-xing shows up in War of the Cryptids so I messed up on this one. Just replace it with Ulraj’s dad.

RIP Dr. Basil: Yeah Doc’s father figure is dead. Old age probably, but also maybe he was killed as retaliation for scrapping the genetic human/cryptid testing research.

Argost’s body count is so high holy shit: 43 secret scientists, Ulraj’s dad, Von Finster, Drew & Doyle’s parents, Zak Monday, and Zak Saturday - and that’s just the deaths we KNOW ABOUT!

Forgot to put this in there but damn the Legion of Garuda guy was seriously gonna kill Zak, like holy shit. So many people want this 11-12 year old boy dead

“I followed Jay Stephens”

This tier is all fun Word of God stuff if you happened to follow Jay Stephens while he was posting on the Toonzone forums while the show was running, from his old blogspot, or while he’s talking to people on instagram. I have a minor and not exhaustive collection of such postings here.

Smoke mirror is NOT a mirror universe / It’s just a shittier universe: According to Jay himself on the Toonzone forums, and in line with actual Aztec mythology, the Smoke Mirror world is NOT a mirror universe. Aztec cosmology states that the world has ended and been remade 4 times, each stint being represented by a different god as the sun, and we're currently on our fifth sun. "The Smoking Mirror" is an epithet used to refer to Tetzcatlipoca (whose temple the Smoke Mirror was found in), who had the dubious honor of being the first sun, and his sun was black and only shed half as much light as our current one, possibly related to how he was missing a leg. Thus, the Smoke Mirror is not a portal to a mirror dimension - the fandom just kind of assumed it was because that's the common trope, but Jay has explicitly said that it isn't one. Rather, the Smoke Mirror is a portal a world inspired by Tetzcatlipoca's sun, a darker and twisted world where everything is generally much worse. This is further enforced by the fact that the Wii/DS/PS2 game is literally about this myth, as the game is called “Beasts of the Fifth Sun.”

Screwed by the network: The show barely ever had reruns shown and was constantly having its timeslot shafted by sportsball. It was insanely hard to keep up with the show as new episodes came out and even harder to catch up on missed episodes, which was death for a show with such tight continuity. On top of that, season 2 was only ten episodes, which is NOT standard (season 1 had 26 episodes and a half-season would be 13), which means they had to cut more than half of season 2′s contents. You can really feel how rushed it is in the last three episodes.

Dodo???:

The executives at Discovery Kids had spent many hours telling me that my original Tutenstein designs were "too cute" and "too Casper", so, stubborn jerk that I am, I made sure to make this one even cuter. For inspiration, I went over my old Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse comics... particularly the Seven Ghosts and Phantom Blot stuff... excellent, classic work. My idea was to update the 'funny animal mystery trio' by incorporating my love of Cryptozoology into the pitch. It went a little like this:"CRYPTIDS features a crack team of globe trotting cryptozoologists uniquely qualified for the job because they themselves were once cryptids! OKAPI, KOMODO, and MEGAMOUTH, along with their nine-year-old human mascot, FRANCIS, serve as a sort of anti-detective team. Scooting across land, sea, and air in their fantastic CAMPERCOPTER, their never-ending goal is to preserve the mystery of the world’s strangest creatures before they are exposed by humans… or destroyed by the Cryptids' nemesis, MONSIEUR DODO."I pitched it to a bunch of studios and got some interest, but, ultimately this incarnation went nowhere. Nobody 'got' the design, commenting that it looked like a kiddie show but read edgier. When I brought up the classic Floyd Gottfredson Micky Mouse adventure comics, I got blank stares. Not even Walt Disney Television Animation knew who or what I was talking about. Sigh... back to the drawing board.

Doc’s design was based on Harry Belafonte: Said on Jay’s Insta.

Doc and Drew canonically straight but everyone else is open season: Said on Jay’s Insta. FWIW Doyle gives me really strong bisexual energy.

Viral Marketing: The show’s initial ads were found footage-style short videos of horrific puppets of the show’s cryptid protagonists. I think they’re still up on youtube.

List of “hundreds” of creatures compiled for the show: Said on Jay’s Blogspot.

I forgot to mention this one, but Jay Stephens says that in-universe, cryptids aren’t just “creatures unproven to science,” but rather, “creatures that share a common, mystical bond.” It’s never said in-universe but I figured I’d let you guys know that this is what sets cryptids apart from regular animals.

Can’t “stay on the side of good” if show didn’t end how it ended: This is referring to how, according to Jay on the Toonzone forums, Zak losing his powers was the only way for him to firmly stay on the side of good. This is a very contentious opinion in the fanbase, but honestly, I kind of get it. By the end of the show, Zak has enough power to destroy human civilization within a week, anytime he feels like it, just by thinking about it. And he’s 13 years old. Humanity wouldn’t survive if he had, like, an emo phase when he turned 16. As long as he has that kind of unchecked power, there’s ALWAYS going to be doubt as to whether or not it’s safe to let him wander around, there’s ALWAYS going to be people who either want him dead for the good of mankind or want to use and manipulate him to their own ends, and - as we see in Return of Tsul’Kalu - he’s not immune to despair, as he literally says “if even the good cryptids think I’m destined for evil, I don’t know why I should even fight it anymore.” Even assuming Zak is incorruptibly “good” (which, again, we have evidence that he isn’t), at some point he’s going to have to start thinking about whether it’s his responsibility to police humanity. If people are illegally burning down the rainforests, and the government won’t do anything, wouldn’t Zak be morally obligated to do something extrajudicial about that? Where does that slippery slope end? So, like, honestly, I kind of agree. The only way for him to firmly stay on the side of good is for him to lose his incredible power, because you know what they say about absolute power.

“I have done a lot of research into the show”

This tier is about doing a bit of extraneous googling into tidbits that are brought up in the show. The cryptids all being based on real things is pretty common knowledge, but there’s so much more in this show that’s based on real stuff than that.

Drew’s fire sword is Manjushri’s khadga: Drew’s fire sword is based on the blade (khadga is the specific type of sword) that the bodhisattva Manjushri wields. It symbolizes wisdom, which cuts through duality and ignorance. And there are ones from Tibet (where Drew was raised) that look JUST LIKE the one in the show.

Tetzcatlipoca’s epithet was “The Smoking Mirror”: Most of this is covered in the previous section, but did you know that Tetzcatlipoca was considered the rival to Quetzalcoatl? This is especially interesting given that Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent, and Kur was believed to be a serpentine dragon (more on that later). I will also mention that Tetzcatlipoca transformed into a jaguar after Quetzalcoatl struck down his stint as sun, by the way. For fanart purposes, you know.

Garuda is a mythological Hindu figure: Garuda is a demigod in Hindu mythology that is depicted either as a giant bird resembling a kite (sea-eagle), or a bird furry. There’s a myth where he eats nagas. This is why the Legion of Garuda is named after him, and why the wizard guy summons a giant eagle illusion to scare off the nagas.

Kumari Kandam, Lemuria, Shangri-La Real: Kumari Kandam and Lemuria are two names for the same proposed (and disproven) sunken land bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Madagascar, which would’ve explained how monkeys got to Madagascar and became lemurs (hence the name). Due to some Hippie New Age Bull Shit, the survivors of Lemuria (often interchangeably used with Atlantis) moved to the Mt. Shasta region of California, where myths and legends of “lemurians” persist to this day. Shangri-La (the Lemurian homeland in the show) is unrelated to the two and is instead a fictional earthly paradise located in the Himalayas.

Dead Sea Scrolls reference: The scroll Wadi finds is definitely a reference to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Related to that,

Methuselah Tree Real: In real life, the methuselah tree is the oldest tree in the world, and - like in the show - its location is a carefully guarded secret. Not because it’s the font of all water in the world (a clear reference to the Norse myth of the World Tree and possibly a reference to the Zamzam Well), but to avoid vandalism, as we all know what people are like.

Inaccessible Island Real: Argost briefly mentions that they’re on Inaccessible Island before he steals Zak Monday’s powers. This is a real, shitty little island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Tomb of Kur Real: The Official Cryptid Field Guide lists the Tomb of Kur as the “Kohker Archaeological Site.” This is a real place, and is a temple dedicated to Shiva.

 Library at Alexandria Real: The Library at Alexandria was a massive collection of books - every book brought into port at Alexandria would be copied, the copy stored in the library, and the original returned to its owner. Such a massive collection... all burned down. Tragic.

Naga fireball phenomenon Real: There’s a phenomenon that happens along the Mekong River where fireballs regularly erupt. The family goes looking for the naga using this phenomenon in the season 2 premier.

Mines set on fire that stay on fire for years Real: The mine that’s on fire in the bunyip episode is probably a reference to Burning Mountain, a mountain in Australia that has a fire under it that’s been burning for 6000 years. There’s many other such long-lived fires in the world.

Judaculla Rocks Real: The rock Zak damages in Return of Tsul’Kalu is the Judaculla rock, which is in the show the same as it is in real life - significant to the Cherokee people and associated with Tsul’Kalu, the Master of Game.

“Kur” used to refer to the first mythological dragon: So we now know that “Kur” referred to a TON of different things - the mountains, the lands, the people who came from the mountains, the netherworld, etc. HOWEVER, at the time, the main person writing about Kur attributed the word to a serpentine beast living at the bottom of the Netherworld, which he then called the first dragon ever depicted in human mythology. This has been more or less debunked now, but it’s what the show was using. Serpentine symbolism is used in the show to represent Kur - there’s a set of snakes on some of the doors in Kur’s tomb, and Kur’s most dedicated servants are sneople.

“I have done TOO MUCH research into the show.”

This tier is about my descent into madness. It covers research that wouldn’t normally be performed, supplementary material that very few people know about, etc.

Men of the Saturday family have biblical names: First we have Solomon Saturday and Zak Saturday, with Zak pretty obviously standing in for some variant of Zakariya/Zechariah. The prequel comics also give us an Elijah Saturday and a Samuel Saturday, so this is a very deliberate choice.

Solomon = “peace” but also associated with the Lesser Key of Solomon: The Lesser Key of Solomon is a famous demonology grimoire that lists several demons, their ranks, what they do, and how to summon them. A little bit like a cryptopedia.

Zak = Zakariya = “God Has Remembered”: That’s what his name means. And, like... kind of spooky considering Zak’s the reincarnation of a god. Now, while lots of spellings of this name exist, I prefer Zakariya. I think Doc initially would've wanted Zachariah/Zechariah because it's more biblical, but I also personally believe Drew (who speaks Arabic and is a white mom) would go for something a little more unique, compromising on the Arabic spelling. Plus, it has the K in it. Which I like. Though it would be in character for Zak to be Zachariah and shorten it with a K on purpose himself to look cooler. Either way, Zakariya/Zachariah/any of its variants is almost certainly what Zak is short for. Zechariah is also, famously, the last of the martyrs. And martyr himself Zak did!

Drew and Doyle are Gaelic / Ginger confirmed: Drew is albino so she wouldn’t have them but we were cheated out of Doyle with freckles. This is, incidentally, probably why Zak has freckles in the Ben10 crossover that I don’t like thinking about.

Wadi = riverbed that sometimes dries up: Wadi, noun. A valley, gully, or streambed in northern Africa and southwest Asia that remains dry except during the rainy season. It’s symbolism about the whole Eterno thing.

Short hair Drew: You guys want some concept art?

Zak’s name used to be Francis:

Abbey sold plundered relics to museums for money: Also from the prequel comics; Abbey was Zak’s favorite babysitter because she used to take him on wild wacky adventures... robbing tombs. And then selling the artifacts she’d find there to museums. Van Rook shows up and does a “not so different” on her for this. And he was sooo right!

Divining rod = Shiva’s trident: This fucking thing HAUNTED ME FOR YEARS

Because that’s not any “divining rod” or “dowsing rod” I know about! Well, GUESS WHAT.

It’s Shiva’s fucking trident. It symbolizes many different trinities, like “past/present/future” and “joy/compassion/love” and stuff. YEARS IT TOOK ME.

Kur is associated with the Hindu god Shiva, known as “The Destroyer”: Kur’s tomb is literally a temple dedicated to Shiva, one of Shiva's symbols is a cobra coiled around his neck (and Rani Nagi famously uses cobras to chat), and the divining rod used to find Kur is shaped like Shiva’s trishula. Furthermore, one of Shiva's aspects is the King of Beasts. So, like, yeah. The cobra tends to symbolize how Shiva has tamed the venomous ego, and his dominion over all animals on earth, so... they are making a really obvious parallel here. Rani Nagi even calls Kur “the destroyer” at one point! The clear implication of this association is both to more strongly enforce the idea that Kur is something divine, or seen as divine, and to cast its destruction in a more ambiguous light - Shiva may be the destroyer, but he is also the preserver, and in no iteration of Hinduism is he treated as an evil deity. Creation, preservation, and destruction is merely a natural cycle, one of the trinities represented by Shiva's trident. But it sure sucks for the people who are getting destroyed, so it's natural a creature whose existence IS destroying things would be viewed as "evil" or "bad" by the unfortunate species getting their asses kicked.

“These questions plague me deep into the night”

These are just questions that haunt me. Someone save me from this madness

[themangledsans0508]

Day 6: Ghost Stories/Land of the Lost Things

Day late but I got it.

Read on Ao3

"Another story, Miss Molly?" She chuckled softly and looked at the clock.

"I suppose we have time for one more. What kind of story would you all like?" The kids started talking over one another.

"An adventure!"

"One with dinosaurs!"

"One that's scary!"

"A true one!" She scratched her chin.

"I might have one that is all those things."

"Tell us! Tell us!" She laughed some more.

"Okay, okay, everyone settle down. I'll tell you."

This all happened when I was a little girl. A few years older than you all are now. I was going to a summer camp where I had made the greatest friends of my life. We had so much fun there and so many adventures.

"What kind of adventures?"

"Very exciting ones, but they were also very dangerous."

Anyways, one late night we were all going to bed when we heard a loud crash. We ran outside to investigate. Out there we saw-

"A bigfoot!"

"Mothman!"

"The bear lady again!"

"No, no, it wasn't from any of those."

It was a small dinosaur! My friend said it was called a dilong. We could see through it, and it was kind of green. Once it saw us, it ran away so fast we had only a second to think.

"Did you chase it?"

"Of course."

"Did you catch it?"

"Hang on, just listen to the story."

We were able to keep up with it for a while, but then it ran through a tree! We lost it after that. At that point we had ended up by the house of a person we knew, and she came outside pretty upset with us for making such a ruckus. When we asked her if she had seen anything, she said a few foul things about our camp director and said she'd never seen something like we described.

"You don't know what it was?"

"Well, we have an idea."

"But then why did the other lady not believe you?"

"Nellie believed us, she did, but she's very ill-tempered. She thought we just saw a normal dinosaur that looked a bit odd."

"What was it?"

We eventually all agreed we had seen a ghost. It was green, see-through, and could run through things. Plus, we had seen ghosts before. While we were at the camp, we'd see that ghost dinosaur run by from time to time.

"But ghosts can't touch things. What made the loud noise?"

"The little guy had startled a yeti and he had fallen over," she explained. One of the kids crossed their arms and pouted.

"That wasn't scary!" Molly smiled gently.

"Maybe not when I was retelling it, but in the moment it was." There was a knock on the doorframe. Jo stood there with a kind grin.

"The band is going on in about an hour. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. See you next week, guys."

"Wait, Miss Molly!" A young girl with brown hair and a blue outfit grabbed her leg. "Was that story true?" Molly ruffled her hair.

"One-hundred percent."

"I don't believe you!" Another kid shouted.

"How about this, Jo was there too. She'll tell you." Jo raised an eyebrow at her.

"What am I telling them?" she asked.

"Did we see a ghost dinosaur?"

"Which time?"

"First time."

"Oh, yeah we totally did," Jo said confidently. 

She thought the looks on the kids' faces were priceless as they left.

[alexkingstonflirt]

6.1 An Unearthly Woman by Matt Fitton

Coal Hill School has a new member of staff: an educated woman, who seems to specialise in every subject. Meanwhile, teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright have concerns over the behaviour of one of their pupils.

Susan Foreman is intrigued by Dr Song, but something else is stalking her in the darkness and fog of London, 1963…

6.2 The Web of Time by John Dorney

The capital has been evacuated. Monsters stalk the Underground. For River, it’s the perfect opportunity to steal a priceless artwork, so long as she can avoid looters, soldiers and an alien invasion.

With the gallant Captain Knight at her side, River faces the Great Intelligence and its Yeti army. But her biggest challenge may be keeping time itself on track…

6.3 Peepshow by Guy Adams

Miniscope parts fetch quite a price on the open market – luckily, River knows where she can find one that’s about to be decommissioned. Unfortunately, this particular miniscope is chock-full of aliens, as well as unsuspecting Earthlings.

River must face a carnival of monsters before she can claim her prize – across miniature habitats, Ogrons, Sontarans and Drashigs await!

6.4 The Talents of Greel by Paul Morris

River visits Victorian London on the trail of anachronistic technology. But when young women are stolen from the streets, she takes a stand. River’s investigation leads to theater impresario Henry Gordon Jago, and his latest star act: Li H’Sen Chang and the unnerving Mr Sin. But if River’s going undercover at the Palace Theatre, she needs to have a song…

River Song dances on the outskirts of Doctor Who history

[thescarletspire]

Empty Vessel

She stares at the ceiling from her back. Sleep feels pointless at this point. Everything, for that matter, begins to feel pointless...to a point where the hopelessness begins bordering on what had to be madness, the way the thoughts nagged at her mind.

For the first few months, it felt like a puzzle. Like maybe the details that would unlock the truth she sought were just out of reach. But the more she reached, the months turned to years, and the more out of reach they seemed.

And it is maddening. How could the secrets she'd unearthed from the ethereal Scarlet Spire, the dark, forbidden histories previously obscured by her family, and everything that had happened between them, and besides...

It seems that none of it...really mattered. Though difficult. coveted, and exceedingly rare...what was the use of knowing how to raise the dead, when the dead she sought was nowhere to be found? What was the use of learning who Robin really was, when nothing about it could be addressed? What was the use of knowing a gruesome past if one couldn't do anything to fix it? What was the use even of this suffering, when no one knew or cared that it was happening? When it didn't matter to anyone else? And what was the point of this priceless gift of rebirth...when there was no joy in it?

If she just knew there was no hope, she could gladly wash her hands of it, call it a lost cause. She could begin the process of acceptance, mourning, and then eventually recovery...and find out where the rest of her life was supposed to go, whatever that meant.

She laughs a short, mirthless chuckle. It was perfect, wasn't it. Even in death, Robin managed to plague her as he had in life, never guaranteeing even the smallest detail as certainty.

Even in death, he won’t let her go. She sees pieces of him in countless people. In the way the old man on the ferry this morning joked and winked at her at she passed, the smirk and the dark hair of the girl who'd hugged her and laughed about her blushing discomfort months ago, the young boy with too familiar eyes, but who stayed meek and cowardly and never revealed anything more about himself for her to be able to decide. Each time, she'd feel something new open in her chest, and a small spring of hope would begin.

It used to be exciting, one time, when the clues were few. But after dozens, if not hundreds of times...it became a pattern. Something would catch her eye, and she'd investigate, listen, engage them for hope that more stars would align. If she was lucky, maybe one, or two more things would seem consistent...only for hope to come crashing down when nothing she said or did seemed to trigger recognition, or a memory of any kind.

The possibilities run through her mind. She wonders if, even if he were not lost to time completely, if he were alive...and maybe even had retained memory...would he know she was alive again? And even if he did, was it possible that...he would try to avoid her? It made a frustrating amount of sense. He had always tried to hide his feelings from her before, when they'd been together...and now that everything was so obviously clear, would he be afraid to acknowledge it? Afraid to admit to her what he'd already confessed?

What if...he didn't want to be found?

She turns and buries in face in her pillow.

She feels her insides shrink, and immediately recoiled against the dense chill that creeps into her chest.

How did things...end up like this?

Wouldn't it be better if she could just...give up? Stop feeding the hope that only ended in misery? She could always stop. Always end it all. All the unknown could stop. No more burden of the future. No more...anything. She basked in that feeling for a moment, imagining a time where none of this mattered, none of it ever did or ever would. Worried and wanted for nothing. Cared for nothing and no one. The anguish in her heart melted away. Peace, at last, as meaningless as the rest had been. She wondered at how comforting yet empty it felt.

Afraid of this new feeling, she immediately misses that shapeless warmth in her heart. She misses how even the idea of it made her feel full, and gave her purpose. Without it, she knows she never would have survived this long, never would have had the strength. As an empty vessel, she is afraid of what would replace it, or worse...not replace it. The way things are...at least she knew herself, how she wanted to feel, and knew how she wanted to have it. And that was something Robin had never had control over.

The last memory of Robin flashes behind her eyes. Falling to the ground, watching as he, knife in hand, puts himself between her and the disgusting yeti, dark guts covering its stark white fur, smelling gamy and looking as slimy as it probably felt.

Had he died just for her give up on him? Was this how she'd repay him?

Could she accept herself if she did?

She took a deep breath.

And realized there was no choice.

With this, sleep begins to take her at last. She curls tighter into herself, pulling the covers nearly over her head. Whatever it will be, is what it will be. And anything she did to change it would never be satisfying, either way.

And that night, she finds herself on a beach, staring at a dark, restless sea, the skies grey as if just before a summer tempest. She felt the sun-warmed sands and knew she was barefoot, and the edges of her clothing whipped and fluttered with the growing winds. And the next she knew, she felt a hand in hers. When she turned to identify the being, she gasped. From the dark, wavy hair she'd seen on the girl, to the eyes on the young boy, and countless other features...all accumulating here. It was undeniable. This was Robin. She tried not to shake as he smiled gently and pulled her to him. As real as anything, she felt her arms around him, and let herself sink into the embrace.

But this was...

Just a dream...

And it seemed that just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. When she awoke, it was early in the morning, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so rested.

She laid there a moment to try to make sense of what she'd seen.

Or maybe there was no sense to make.

Real or not, Robin wasn't going to let her give up. Not on him, not on herself, one way or another, it seemed. She sighed, and sat up, and reached for her cloak.

[blogdecjunior]

Walking towards wisdom

Inspired from https://thehappyshoes.com/2019/05/18/life-lessons-from-spending-a-night-alone-in-a-himalayan-forest/

It was an unusually bright morning in Maipathal. The clouds were in a good mood too. They filtered the warmth of the sunlight offering a perfect, refreshing ambience. A special kind of weather in which one would definitely think of wrapping themselves up in a blanket with a hot cuppa and a book.

Happy Shoes was looking out through the window and savoring the natural feeling when Mr Rai placed her morning cuppa on the table.

The color of the tea had hinted that it was of the finest texture and indeed, the very first sip sucked away even the last drop of fatigue from her.

“It is just one straight road all the way from here”, declared the host, as he drew out a map for her on a blank rumpled paper he had found.

She had trekked countless miles along the steepest slopes in her life and Mr Rai reassured that this will be just a piece of cake for her.

Even though it wasn't recommended by an expert, she had taken the least traveled trail obviously, and the first day of trekking was all about moving past those remote Himalayan villages and waving goodbye to their lonely residents.

Nature displayed a remarkable diversity as she walked on. Short shrubs made way to tall, arching Deodar trees on the either side of her desolate journey. Even though there were less number of villages, each village was perfectly set on the steep slopes, blending in to nature around them.

The first day ended under the thatched roof of a local family. A local family was kind enough to offer a bed.

As she walked past the hidden waterfalls and the magical lakes on the second day, the slopes started to get steeper.

Meeting a human soul in these heights was as rare as a comet sighting and when she met a man on the way, she was stunned. Wrapped up in a pashmina shawl, he was a kind soul and in his broken English, he told her more about what lies ahead.

After hours of walking along the muddy pathway, which looked like nobody had used after the Pandavas did in Mahaprasthana, the surrounding terrain indicated that she was nearing a dense forest. The canopy of the towering trees grew denser as she continued walking along the twists and curves of the marshy trail.

greetings!

my dear wanderer.

There were rhododendrons and a wide range of orchids in full bloom everywhere as a pair of Himalayan Bluetail flew beside the golden arc of the sunset.

...

Soon, darkness fell over the forest.

It is rumored that evil spirits and yetis rise after dusk along with the man-eaters looking for their prey in the woods, so she needed to get out of the woods.

lost, are you?

But descending to the main trail was clearly dangerous during that time and she had no much supplies to camp for the night. A bottle of water and some biscuits were all she had.

make up your mind,

dear wanderer of the woods!

Spontaneously, the wind blew.

Wisps of mist rose into the air and her hair went airborne.

It was a sign from the mountains.

She was in the Now.

She knew what she had to do.

...

She looked around and found a place covered with dry leaves, a little away from the trail, beneath a copse of sky-high trees.

"Perfect", she thought to herself.

She put down her backpack, and rested.

The sunlight was still going to be on for couple of minutes, so she pulled out her copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and opened up a page.

"For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight."

Just as she closed the book, the words seemed to be floating and moving. They got out, drifted freely through the twilight and finally flew up to the starry skies.

...

Soon, darkness fell over the forest. This was something she hadn't experienced before, it was pitch black.

And dark images started to rise in her mind: a bear dismembering her whole body; death without even getting to embrace it. Her mind started to wander, brimming with fear.

scared, are you?

I shall send them soon.

The night got colder and colder, as the forest prepared for moon-rise. And when the moon rose gently over its zenith, she couldn't watch it completely as the canopy blocked most of the alluring view.

Just as when she thought that the situation couldn't get any more worse, one particular ray of moonshine struck the tree in front of her. It was like the sound of the jungle stopped for a moment; there was nothing but silence.

Out of the ray of moonshine came a number of white, translucent apparitions. They formed a circle around her and slowly became opaque. They were the celestial beings from another world. They held their hands together and formed a cosmic shield with she inside it, protecting her from the evil and phantoms from the astral world.

"Greetings!

We're the consorts of White Old Man."

...

She laid awake at dawn, breathing peacefully. The worst is over. She had spent a whole night alone in a Himalayan forest!

It taught her priceless lessons about life and mind. She felt grateful.

A day later, she reached Sandakphu. And there she was, Mount Kanchenjunga!

As a home to Dzo-nga and other specters, and as a loving mother to the lovely souls of Taplejung, Kanchenjunga stands very high with her head always wrapped up in clouds and covered in snow, perennially.

It was pure bliss, to see the mountain after days of trekking and Happy Shoes felt more alive than ever.

Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, as she stood admiring the view, lost in her beauty.

O, angels and apsaras of The Land of Snow,

who endure more than us mortal beings,

Bless whom lay their trust in thou

And the mountains themselves.

...

La fin

✨

[thedankduchess]

Clean resin is the ultimate evidence of a well executed grow in its entirety in conjunction with a mindful and methodical collection process. The success of my bubble hash wash is highly contingent upon the grower and 1) his/her choice of genetics (resin production and structure of trichome) 2) method of growing (organic inputs, soil conditioning, beneficial interdependence, terroir focused approach) 3) harvesting (right on time) 4) drying (well ventilated with no mold) 5) freezing for whole plant fresh frozen (under 2 hrs. No vac seal) 6) trimming (dry only, and with MINIMAL handling) and 7) delivery to me (A YETI is priceless) At this point, I take over the curating of the trichomes.The hashmaking process is intense for the delicate glandular heads and my job is to collect them without damaging that which the farmer so painstaking grew. Every variable matters, so the farmer is depending on my: 1) swiftness (resin should be in and out of water as fast as possible) 2) attention to detail (no sloppiness in action) 3) adaptability (every single run is different and, as such, needs a flexible approach) 4) cleanliness (highest standards and practices always) In the end, a deft and effective wash of well grown cannabis will be revealed in pure, uncontaminated resin foreshadowing dank times to come. ___ #TheDuchTouch #solventless #bubblehash #hash #hashish #hachis #icewaterhash #credittothefarmer #hatsofftothehashmaker #artisanal #singlesource #fullmelt #cannabis #allweedeverything #dank #cannabiscommunity #concentrates #healthandwellness #alternativehealth #healthyliving #plantmedicine #highquality #eachoneteachone #togetherwewill #TheDankDuchess (at Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/B340TfehIC5/?igshid=193s1vshgg02w

[manelyec]

The Perfect Fit - EC Spotlight on Pam Martin-Wells and the Bass Fishing Team

For as long as she can remember, Pam Martin-Wells has loved the outdoors.

“I’ve been fishing my whole life,” she recalls. “My parents used to pick my sister and up from school on Friday and that’s what we did. We would go to the lake and go fishing and camping, it’s in my blood.”

Growing up, Pam was very competitive, racing motocross, playing basketball, and softball, but then she found out that there was a Ladies Bass Fishing Circuit.

“That was how the monster got created,” Pam joked. “I’ve been professionally fishing for 27 years.”

During her career, Pam became the women’s all-time leading money winner and is a 27-time Classic Qualifier. Some of her most successful accomplishments include placing 22nd at the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, winning the inaugural Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship and being named Angler of the Year on eight different occasions. 

Pam, however, doesn’t focus on her personal accomplishments and accolades, instead, her focus lies on the younger generation of anglers and sharing her passion with them.

“I’m sponsored by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau and each year they have a four-week camp,” she remembers. “My husband, Steven and I do what’s called Fishing Fridays and we go up and talk to the kids and take them fishing – seeing the smile on their faces, it’s priceless.”

For this reason, when she heard that Emmanuel College was considering starting up a Bass Fishing team, she was quick to inquire.

“To be able to come here and guide this team in the tournament aspect, help them be successful as anglers, I can’t say it’s a dream come true because I never thought about being a coach,” she said. “The good Lord works in mysterious ways.”

Pam’s ultimate goal? To inspire the younger generation, especially young girls to go out and enjoy the outdoors and all that the Good Lord has given us.

The people of Emmanuel were quick to make a great impression on Coach Wells.

“Everyone was super nice when I first came in for an interview,” she remembers. “A few weeks later, my mother passed away and the overwhelming response we received from staff to students, that showed me the kind of people that were here. That experience let me know for sure that God has placed us where he wanted us.”

Pam believes her experience will help the varsity anglers on her team learn and grow in the sport.

“I’ve been through it,” she said. “There are a lot of do’s and don’ts that I can teach them. If they want to pursue fishing as a career, they’ll learn that it’s not just about fishing, you’ve got to be a good salesperson, too.”

Pam has set her expectations high for the inaugural season of EC Bass Fishing.

“We have a really good team, we’ve made a lot of headway in recruiting,” she said. “I think they were hoping for 8 recruits, and we have 12. We’re pleased and got some really good anglers. I have to give Elaine Saxon a lot of credit because she started this and did a lot of the footwork before I got hired.”

Where can you find the EC Lions fishing this season?

“We’re going to try to fish the BASS Carhartt Series which is three tournaments and the FLW Yeti Series which is three tournaments,” she said. “We’ll fish a lot of local stuff, various club stuff, but with the schedule not being out yet we’re not sure where it’ll take us.”

Although the season doesn’t usually begin until February, the Lions hope to compete in a tournament in November to help anglers get their feet wet.

“Even though they’ve fished in tournaments in high school, this is a whole different level,” she said. “In high school, they have Boat Captains (responsible adults that drive the boat), but in college, it’s all on them.”

There are a few lessons Pam hopes to instill in her anglers.

“First and foremost is safety,” Pam said. “That first tournament in November, we’ll try to fish that so that they’ll understand the process of collegiate fishing, get used to putting their own boat in, driving their own boat, etc.”

Pam also hopes to teach her anglers about the respect, morals, and ethics she believes have gotten lost in the sport.

What advice would she give to anglers hoping to make a career out of fishing?

“First and foremost get an education,” she said. “You need to have something to fall back on. It’s not an easy sport to succeed in because it’s bombarded with hundreds of anglers, it’s hard to get sponsors. You need to find your own niche, whether it’s social media, filming, promotion, you have to have something else to pitch besides fishing.”

For as long as she can remember, Pam Martin-Wells has loved the outdoors. Now, as the Head Coach of Emmanuel’s Intercollegiate Bass Fishing program, she gets to share her passion for fishing with a group of anglers that can’t wait to get out on the water. She truly believes the Lord works in mysterious ways, and she’s glad he made her an EC Lion.

[oraclesoftime]

Futures Known But Unspoken

CHAPTER 25 Questions and Answers “Come along now, we must move on quickly,” Gandalf urged as everyone began packing the next morning. Belle and Lane stood from their spots after wrapping up their bedrolls and tethering them to their packs. “Good morning ladies~” When they moved to turn around, Belle to greet them and Lane to chastise them, Belle let out a squeak while Lane couldn’t help but laugh as they both received a smack on their rears. “Good morning to you too~” Lane purred, turning to look at the brothers with a grin. “Fíli told me that I kept… um…” “Sleeping on me last night? Yeah,” Lane chuckled. “Don’t worry, I had this one on my other side doing the same, so at least I wasn’t cold,” she claimed, thumbing over to a very pink Belle, the shorter woman holding her rear end. “Fíli, Kíli, be ready, we’re going to head out,” Thorin called out. The brothers nodded and walked over to their uncle, not before Fíli gave Lane a knowing look and a wink, causing her to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. Lane had, at some point, fallen asleep last night, only to find herself back between a slumbering Belle and Kíli when the sun began to rise the next morning. At first she’d figured it was just a dream, but when she had to help detangle Belle from her blanket burrito she had a feeling that it wasn’t, which meant that, though it was only an assumption, Fíli, at some point, had carried her back to her spot between the two. She could now safely assume that it had actually happened. The woman finished packing her own small bag after doing a quick count of everything, mostly her bath kit, before everyone stood and made their way down the path and off of the carrock, Belle right behind Lane at the end of the line. “Is it me or has he been flirting with you?” Belle sang, a grin spread across her lips. “Is that why you buried me last night, so I wouldn’t interrupt any alone time you two had?” Lane turned slightly to give her friend a grin. “So what if I did? I haven’t gotten laid in months Izz, months! Do you know what that can do to a girl?” “Ok, I didn’t need the nitty gritty-wait… please tell me you’re joking...” Rather than replying Lane gave her a cocky wink and continued down the path, Belle’s cheeks turning pink as unwanted images popped into her head. “When we’re on solid ground again I am harassing you for the truth missy!” Belle barked, quickly dashing to catch up to her friend. The company made their way down the carrock’s path until one by one, their feet touched the earth. “Move quickly!” Thorin ordered, leading the charge along with Gandalf. “Woof…” Lane huffed, clearly unimpressed about being ordered around. “Alright missy! What did you do to poor Fíli?” Belle demanded, dashing up to her friend’s side as they began walking. Lane let out a small bark of laughter at her friend’s determination. “Nothing he didn’t like evidently~” “Nu-ah! You’re not getting out of this one, what did you guys do?” Belle repeated, her eyes narrowing up at her friend. “Nothing really...” Lane sighed with a pout. “I stole his pipe for a smoke, we talked, we cuddled and I guess I fell asleep…” “While talking with your Little Prince?” Belle grinned. “Yeah, and it wasn’t even pillow talk...” Lane booed. “Well if you fell asleep while talking to Fíli then how’d you get back to bed between me and Kíli?” Belle hummed, the teasing smile never leaving her lips. Lane paused for a moment to see if she could think of a witty comeback, but as nothing came to her she opted for what she believed to be the truth. “Well since I’m pretty sure I don’t sleepwalk he must have carried me back…” Lane hummed, index finger tapping her chin in mock thought. Belle gave a loud squeal in glee causing the dwarves to swing around, many of their weapons raised in preparation for any possible threats as Lane clamped a hand over the smaller woman’s mouth. “False alarm~!” Lane sang, an apologetic smile stretched across her face. “Sorry!” The warriors gave a small round of groans, not in the mood for any sudden surprises before turning back to the front and continuing on. “You dipshit!” Lane barked, glaring down at the woman. “I’m sorry but it’s so romantic~~” Belle cheered, clasping her hands in front of her with a dreamy look in her eyes. “The girl falls asleep and the boy carries her like a princess back to her bed, tucking her in and kissing her on the forehead goodnight before returning to his watch~!” Lane’s face went from irritated to disgusted in point two seconds flat. “You watch way too much Disney...” Lane gagged. “I do, but that’s not the point! You were asleep, so how do you know he didn’t?” Belle sang, swaying from side to side in bliss. “Oh I wish I could have a traveling romance like you~” “Eeewwwww...” Lane groaned, glaring down at her friend. “Izz have I knocked nothing into that head of yours? I don’t do romance. Though honestly since Fíli is Thorin’s heir he would make an excellent sugar daddy-” “LALALADALA!” Belle quickly yelled out, clamping her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to listen I don’t want to know I don’t-AH” Lane laughed as she jogged forward after tweaking her friend’s nose, finally stopping when she was at pace with Bilbo near the front of the group. “Should I be concerned about what you two were doing back there?” the hobbit asked, a knowing smile stretched across his lips. Lane didn’t reply, simply keeping her own grin stretched across her lips as Belle finally caught up and purposely bumped her shoulder with her friend’s with a glare. -=- The company continued to walk at a brisk pace until their legs began to burn and their feet begin to throb. “And I smell gross,” Belle groaned, pulling the collar of her tunic out and sniffing it before making a face and letting it fall back down. “How do you think I feel!” Lane scoffed. “I haven’t shaved in weeks! Weeks! I feel like a fucking yeti, a hairy, smelly and dirty yeti!” Lane finally sighed in defeat. “I’d give a pack of condoms even for an ice bath in a river or something...” Ignoring her friend's unsavoury vocabulary, Belle huffed in determination and made her way up to the front of the group until she was walking by their leader’s side. She tried to wrack her brain for a way to ask if a pit stop could be possible when he sighed. “What?”

“I understand we are on a very tight schedule but-” Belle began only for Thorin to cut her off. “Then you shouldn’t be bothering me; keep moving,” he growled, turning his eyes back to the front.

Belle sighed and continued. “Please listen to me. I haven’t bathed since we were at Rivendell and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d appreciate a nice scrub down or at least a short break from all this walking...”

The only answer Belle got from the dwarf lord was a hard glare causing her to sigh. “Sorry I asked…”

She returned to the rear of the group with Lane again, her friend only giving her a raised eyebrow. The taller opened her mouth to speak but Belle beat her to it. “Don’t,” she sighed, shaking her head. Lane clamped her mouth shut and shrugged, continuing to walk with the others, Belle never leaving her side.

They traveled for a few more hours until Thorin called out that they would rest there for the night, managing to find a small rocky area where it would be difficult to spot them. “There is a river nearby, for any who wish to wash up, but do not travel out alone,” Thorin claimed, not particularly looking in anyone’s direction. Belle couldn’t help the leap of joy her heart took at hearing his words, quickly spinning to look at her friend as Lane seemed to share her look of elation. “Race you!” the taller beamed, quickly grabbing her pack and dashing in the direction Thorin had gestured to. Belle could barely contain herself as she dashed after her friend with a gleeful giggle. The two managed to find a somewhat secluded spot of the large river, Lane claiming that she’d take a quick look around to make sure they were indeed alone. The moment her friend was out of sight, Belle began unlacing her boots before undressing. She took a step into the river and nearly screamed at the frigid temperature, leaping back out of the water. “I told you it’d be an ice bath,” Lane’s voice snickered from behind her. “This isn’t fair! I just want to get clean!!” Belle whined, squatting down and covering her front with her arms. “Well then, get clean.” Before Belle could spin around and scold her friend, a boot was pushed against her back, causing the smaller woman to teeter forwards before falling into the water with a short shriek. When Belle’s head broke the surface of the water, she released a high pitched scream, her entire body instantly beginning to quake from the cold water. “Lane what is the matter with you!!!” Belle screamed, quickly beginning to rub her naked arms in an attempt to reclaim the lost heat. The taller woman however, was currently incapacitated, rolling on the grassy river bank and laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. “Oh my god your face!!” she howled. “The look on your face was absolutely fucking priceless! Oh fuck I wish I had my camera, that was a kodak moment right there!” “I hate you with every fiber of my body right now!” Belle barked, her teeth beginning to chatter. Lane managed to cease her laughter, sitting up and wiping the remaining tears from her eyes with a few last chuckles. She too quickly slipped her boots off before the rest of her clothing followed suit, Belle quickly spinning around with mildly pink cheeks. She heard Lane enter the water with nothing more than a sharp hiss before Belle felt her hair being given a small tug. “C’mere you whiny thing, you’ll need soap if you want to get clean,” Lane beckoned, reaching back to pull a tiny vial, the small brick of soap as well a cloth and a small razor given to her by Gilraen out of her own pack. Belle pouted but did as she was told, taking the soap and cloth from her friend before turning her back to the taller woman, Lane instead opting to wash her hair first, being careful of her stitches after removing her bandages. Just as Belle’s shivering body began to get used to the cold water, there was a holler from behind them. Before either woman could turn, a figure leapt into the river, Kíli’s head popping out of the water with a loud cry. “Holy Malkor, this water is freezing!!” he yelped. Belle gave a small shriek and quickly sunk further into the water, covering herself just as extra precaution as Lane rolled her eyes. “If you wanted to have a co-ed scrub-down Kíli, you should have just asked~” the taller teased, aware of Belle’s discomfort and lack of her own. “Well I had figured that you’d appreciated the company, but I don’t think I’ll be able to join you for long; I can’t feel my toes!” the brunette prince shivered, rubbing his arms as his teeth began to chatter. A few more hoots and hollers were heard dashing through the woods behind them, Lane letting out a round of laughter as Belle quickly clamped her hands over her eyes so she didn’t witness the horror poor Mulan had. Several loud splashes along with just as many cries sounded through the river as Lane continued to scrub her hair, Fíli, Dwalin, Bofur, Bombur and Nori having joined Kíli in the river as well as shivering. “How can you stand this!?” Nori yelped, looking over to the women. “We’re women Nori, we’re made to take pain,” Lane chuckled, threading her fingers through her soaped up hair. “That and I’m too hot to feel cold~” The dwarves laughed good naturedly as Lane dunked her head into the water and quickly rinsed the soap out before grabbing her razor. Belle finally opened her eyes but scuttled closer to her friend’s side, being sure to keep her back to the rowdy dwarves not even twenty feet away. “You’re not embarrassed? At all??” Belle gaped. Lane finished lathering up her armpits and gave her friend a raised eyebrow. “Why should I be?” “Because there are six naked men behind us and we’re naked!” Belle hissed loudly. “You’re such a fucking ninny, Izz,” Lane laughed, dragging the razor up her underarm. A shit-eating grin quickly stretched across her lips before shifting on her feet slightly. “Besides, it’s not like Fíli hasn’t seen me like this before~” Belle’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as the group of dwarves all erupted in laughed, Fíli’s sputtering attempt at making up excuses as to why he’d walking in on her at the baths in Rivendell making Lane’s grin grow. Belle simply sighed, fully aware of the bathing room incident both of them had gone through while staying with the elves, took the soap vial from her friend and began to wash her hair, grumbling about the taller woman being unable to keep it in her pants. Once Belle’s hair was cleaned to her liking and Lane had shaved all of her ‘ladies’, the taller walked out of the river and pulled her cloak on as a makeshift towel. “Umm… Lane?” The taller turned back to her friend, Belle still in the water up to her shoulders with a deep red colouring her cheeks. Lane rolled her eyes and grabbed Belle’s cloak before padding into the water and opening it for her, Belle quickly standing up and all but rushing into the material and wrapping herself tightly in it. The two women quickly dried themselves off and redressed, though neither were impressed about having to wear their dirty clothes over their nice clean bodies. “That was not cool,” Belle huffed, finished lacing her boots up. “They know better…”

“They do it just to watch you squirm,” Lane snickered, waiting for her friend to finish. The two returned to the small camp that the company had made and sat down by the fire, Lane draping her and Belle’s cloaks on a stick and sticking it into the ground near the fire so that they could dry and asked Oin to rebandage her head. The other dwarves returned not too long afterwards, all of them grumbling about the river’s temperature causing the women to roll their eyes. As the sun quickly fell and the moon illuminated the sky, everyone retired to their bedrolls, Lane sleeping in between Belle and Fíli, the brunette prince on his brother’s other side while Bilbo slept on Belle’s other side. A few hours later, Lane was jolted out of her sleep from her dream, her breathing slightly irregular before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to try and calm her heart. She made to turn over on her side, only to, once again, find a pair of arms loosely wrapped around her waist and a leg draped over her own. Raising an eyebrow at the later, Lane turned to see Kíli had, indeed, sidled closer to the two women. Lane raised her head slightly to look around their small camp, quickly catching sight of the blond prince sitting not too far away against one of the trees. “Were you coerced or did you volunteer?” she asked in a hushed tone, a small laugh hidden in it. Fíli raised his head from inspecting his dagger, only now noticing that the woman had woken up. He gave her a smirk and motioned to her two cuddle buddies making Lane roll her eyes. “I feel like I’m suffocating, help your Champion out will you?” Lane groaned, holding her hands out to him. Fíli laughed and stood from his spot, walking over to the trio and grabbing onto Lane’s wrists. He pulled her away from the slumbering duo, Belle’s arms and Kíli’s leg falling to the ground once she was free. “There, they can just hug each other,” Lane snickered, brushing off her tunic. Fíli snickered along with her before turning and motioning for her to join him by his post. Sitting beside each other against the trunk of the tree, they entered a comfortable silence, Lane bringing her legs up towards her torso to rest her chin on her knees. “I heard you dreaming over there,” Fíli claimed, turning to look at her. “Were you having a nightmare?” “I… don’t know...” Lane hummed, her eyes not moving from a random spot on the ground in front of her toes. “I dreamed… I was in a burning forest.” “From the mountain?” Fíli assumed. “No… it was full of trees… and they looked like… evergreens,” Lane explained. “The fire was everywhere; the trees, the ground even the sky looked like it was on fire. But… I didn’t feel scared. The flames were crawling across my boots and legs and sleeves but I wasn’t… burning. I wasn’t worried… I almost felt… at peace?” “Perhaps it was a vision?” Fíli suggested. Lane shrugged. “Well, whatever it was, I’m glad you’re alright,” Fíli hummed, a content smile spreading across his features. Lane turned her head so that she was looking down at him and returned his smile. The two watched each other for a few seconds until Lane was the one to return her eyes to the night sky. “I hope it’s not too much but, I was wondering a few things…” Fíli began. Lane brought her eyes back down to him and gave him an inquiring look. “There appeared to be an angry red bruise on your… hip…” the blond began, coughing slightly at the awkwardness of the question. “I first noticed it in Rivendell… and again today… at the river…” Lane didn’t know whether to laugh at his clear discomfort or moon over the fact that he’d clearly seen more than he let on if he saw her tattoo. Without a word, she shifted slightly so that she was on her knees and facing him before pulling the bottom of her tunic up and the band of her trousers down. Fíli made a quick sound of protest but was silenced when he got a full glimpse of this ‘red bruise’ on her hip. “It looks… drawn…” Fíli hummed. “It’s a tattoo… like the ones Dwalin has,” Lane explained. “I got it when I was 17 after watching a movie called Easy A.” Fíli gave her a baffled look. “Never mind.” Lane chuckled, finally putting her clothing back into place and sitting back down by his side. “Any more questions? “Why did you charge Azog’s group outside of the mountain?” Fíli immediately asked. “You could have been killed…” “Why? Because I lack mental stability obviously,” Lane hummed, her face remaining stoic. When her eyes shifted over to look at Fíli and caught his baffled expression, Lane had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out into laughter. “I’m not sure if I should call you a liar or think you truly mad…” Fíli gawked, watching as she snickered at his expense. “Fíli, you are free to think whatever you want about me,” Lane snickered, turning to look at him properly. “But to answer your question… I’m not entirely sure. The heat of the moment maybe?” Lane paused and turned her eyes back to the night sky. “If you hadn’t guessed it already, I hate being the damsel in distress, I hate having to rely on others to take care of me when I can very well do that myself. I didn’t want to watch you and the others fight, I’ve never wanted to. Sorry for stealing your sword by the way, it just happened to be the closest one…” Fíli shook his head and laid a hand on her shoulder, Lane taking her eyes off of the sky to look at him. “You have nothing to apologize for,” Fíli hummed, shaking his head. “But if you truly have no desire to be a… damsel in distress as you call it, then it would be wise for you to continue to learn how to fight.” Lane blinked down at him a few times, attempting to decipher his words while, though she’d rather die than admit it, getting lost in his eyes. “Are you offering, Little Prince?” Lane grinned, a teasing tone laced in her voice. Fíli’s smile grew into a genuine one and nodded. “If you would have me as your mentor, I would be honored to continue your teachings that we began during our journey. It was actually a bit of a shame that they abruptly ended when we-” Fíli paused when he remembered that it had been due to Lane’s injury that her sword lessons had all but come to a grinding halt, the woman catching his eyes stray to the bandages wrapped around her head. Lane gave him a small smile and reached out to place her hand on his elbow, causing his eyes to turn back to her own. “I would be honoured to have you as my teacher Fíli,” she hummed. “All you have to worry your pretty blond head about is showing me how not to stab myself in the foot~” Fíli nodded with a small chuckle and offered her his hand, Lane shaking it. “Tis a deal then.”

[sleepykittypaws]

2018 Theatrical Holiday Premieres

Updated: December 10, 2018

Antiquities (starring Mary Steenburgen, Ashley Greene, Michaela Watkins and Andrew J West as a son returning home to Arkansas to try and understand his deceased father by living his life, including running an antique mall that includes a quirky cast of sellers, among them a man who has recreated his childhood Christmas, hoping to live in that world forever) - Jun. 16, festival circuit, Not Rated (Trailer, Twitter)

Peppermint (starring Jennifer Garner; a mother seeks vigilante revenge for the death of her family at the hands of a brutal gang at a Christmas carnival) - Sep. 7, Rated R (Trailer)

That Time of Year, a.k.a Den Tid Pa Aret (starring Sofie Grabel, Karen-Lise Mynster and Paprika Steen, who also directed; Danish film about a woman nervous to host her annual Christmas Eve dinner thanks to family chaos) - Sep. 7, limited/festival Not Rated (Danish Trailer)

MUSEO (Spanish language movie starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Leonardo Ortizgris and Alfredo Castro; the true story of small-time, seemingly inept crooks who stole priceless Mayan artifacts from Mexico's National Anthropology Museum on Christmas Eve 1985) - Sep. 14, limited release, Not Rated (NOTE: will appear on YouTube Premium after its theatrical run) (Trailer)

Smallfoot (starring Channing Tatum, Zendaya, Gina Rodriguez, James Corden and Danny Devito; animated Yeti adventure where the mythical beasts discover humans actually exist) - Sep 28, rated PG (Trailer, Website, Twitter) ****Review****

Little Women (modern-set take on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, starring Lea Thompson) - Sep. 28, rated PG-13 (Trailer)

Await Further Instructions (starring Grant Masters; a family gathered on Christmas Eve is confronted with a mysterious evil and a message on their TV telling them to await further instructions) - Oct. 5, limited release; rated R (Trailer, Twitter)

The Oath (starring Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho and Nora Dunn; when the government declares all Americans must sign a loyalty oath by Black Friday, a politically mixed family’s already awkward Thanksgiving goes terribly awry) - Oct. 12, Rated R (Trailer)

Christmas Camp (based on the book by Karan Schaler, starring Lily Anne Harrison, Bobby Campo and Ben Gavin; a young woman in advertising who hates Christmas is sent to “Christmas camp” in order to get a job, but ends up getting inspired by the true meaning of the holiday.) - Nov. 1, limited/festival

Nutcracker and the Four Realms (starring Keira Knightly, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and Mackenzie Foy; Disney live-action fantasy inspired by the classic Nutcracker ballet) - Nov. 2, Rated PG (Teaser, Trailer, Trailer 2, Twitter)

The Grinch (starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch and Kaitlyn Maher as Cindy Lou Who; full-length animated movie from Illumination Entertainment based on the classic Dr. Suess book) - Nov. 9, rated PG (Trailer, Trailer 2,Trailer 3, Website, Twitter)

The Least of These: A Christmas Story (starring Tayla Lynn and Emma Faith; a homeless single mother is befriended by a feisty waitress and a store Santa in this tale of holiday love and forgiveness, shot on location in Fayetteville, Ark) - Nov. 9-11, limited engagement at the Fayetville “Host of Christmas Past” street festival (Trailer) (NOTE: Also available via DVD/digital)

Charlie’s Christmas Wish (starring Diane Ladd, Lindsey McKeon, Aiden Turner and Toni Hudson; A war vet with severe PTSD struggles to bond with his family’s newly adopted shelter dog, Charlie, as his wife tries to hold the family together for the holidays) - Nov. 11, limited/festival

Instant Family (starring Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro; a childless couple takes in three foster siblings and becomes a family) - Nov. 16, PG-13 (Trailer, Twitter)

Santa Fake (starring Judd Nelson, John Rhys-Davis, Jeff Fahey, Heather Morris, Damian McGinty; an Irish immigrant finds himself caught up in holiday shenanigans that take him from New York to Santa Fe, shot on location in New Mexico) - Nov. 23, limited/festival

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer (starring Josh Hutcherson, Morena Baccarin, John Cleese, Samantha Bee and Martin Short; international animated film about a miniature horse who dreams of being one of Santa’s reindeer) - Dec. 1, special engagement, Rated PG (NOTE: Will be released on DVD/digital Dec. 4) (Trailer, Twitter, Website) 

Surviving Christmas with the Relatives (starring Joely Richardson, Gemma Whelan, Julian Ovenden and James Fox; UK Christmas comedy about sisters who spend Christmas at their deceased parents’ country house with hilarious results) - Nov. 30, in UK, US Release Date TBA, Rated PG (Trailer) ***Review***

Anna and the Apocolypse (starring Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming and Mark Benton; musical zombie comedy that takes place at Christmas) - Nov. 30, rated R (Trailer, Trailer 2, Redband UK Trailer, Website)

Ben is Back (starring Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges; a young man with substance abuse issues unexpectedly returns home on Christmas Eve and his mother learns hard truths) - Dec. 7, Rated R (Teaser, Twitter, Website)

Buttons (holiday musical starring Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury, narrated by Kate Winslet and Robert Redford; featuring an original song by Paul McCartney; A pair of orphans in the 19th century get a visit from their guardian angels at the holidays) - Dec. 8, special engagement (Trailer) (Tickets)

Once Upon a Deadpool (starring Ryan Reynolds and Fred Savage;  Deadpool 2 re-release using Princeess Bride-style interstitials to explain the R-rated elements; portion of proceeds go to cancer charity) - Dec. 12-24 only, Rated PG-13 (Trailer)

Mary Poppins Returns (starring Emily Blunt, Meryl Strep, Angela Lansbury, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Colin Firth; sequel to the 1964 film based on the book series by P.L. Travers) - Dec. 19, rated PG (Teaser, Trailer)

Christmas at the Chateau (starring Kinsey Leigh Redmond, Justen Jones and Sarah McGuire; three sisters strive to save a historic mansion known as the Shakespeare Chateau before the bank forecloses on Christmas Day; filmed on location in St. Joseph, Missouri) - Dec. 21, special engagement JOMO theater in Missouri (Trailer)

Second Act (starring Jennifer Lopez, Milo Ventimiglia and Vanessa Hudgens; After losing a well-deserved promotion due to her lack of a degree, a single mom finds a fake resume lands her in a corporate job at the holidays) - Dec. 21, Rated PG-13 (Website, Trailer)

[tindogpodcast]

TDP898: The Diary of River Song Series 06

@Tindogpodcast reviews

  This title was released in August 2019. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until October 31st 2019, and on general sale after this date.

River Song has many ways to amuse herself away from her husband. And with access to the Doctor’s diary, she knows exactly when he might be around, and when best to slip in unnoticed and liberate valuable trinkets…

But first of all, she must ensure he makes it out of Totters Lane alive!

6.1 An Unearthly Woman by Matt Fitton

Coal Hill School has a new member of staff: an educated woman, who seems to specialise in every subject. Meanwhile, teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright have concerns over the behaviour of one of their pupils.

Susan Foreman is intrigued by Dr Song, but something else is stalking her in the darkness and fog of London, 1963…

6.2 The Web of Time by John Dorney

The capital has been evacuated. Monsters stalk the Underground. For River, it’s the perfect opportunity to steal a priceless artwork, so long as she can avoid looters, soldiers and an alien invasion.

With the gallant Captain Knight at her side, River faces the Great Intelligence and its Yeti army. But her biggest challenge may be keeping time itself on track…

6.3 Peepshow by Guy Adams

Miniscope parts fetch quite a price on the open market – luckily, River knows where she can find one that’s about to be decommissioned. Unfortunately, this particular miniscope is chock-full of aliens, as well as unsuspecting Earthlings.

River must face a carnival of monsters before she can claim her prize – across miniature habitats, Ogrons, Sontarans and Drashigs await!

6.4 The Talents of Greel by Paul Morris

River visits Victorian London on the trail of anachronistic technology. But when young women are stolen from the streets, she takes a stand. River’s investigation leads to theatre impresario Henry Gordon Jago, and his latest star act: Li H’Sen Chang and the unnerving Mr Sin. But if River’s going undercover at the Palace Theatre, she needs to have a song…

  A new Tin Dog Podcast

[mikehauncho-blog1]

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or Yeti??

Tale оf thе Yeti, а true story

Thіѕ story іѕ а true account оf thе events thаt occurred surrounding thе Yeti sighting. I wаѕ approximately twelve inches frоm thіѕ amazing creature.

A Yeti іѕ а type оf Sasquatch оr Pie Grande Existe ?. Thеу live high іn thе mountains. I'm nоt ѕurе іf I ѕаw а Yeti, а Sasquatch, оr а Big Foot. I call іt а Yeti bесаuѕе wе wеrе high іn thе Rocky Mountains.

Our story begins іn thе state оf Virginia оn August 8, 2012. Mу wife, Becky, аnd I live іn Virginia, vеrу close tо Shenandoah National Park. It іѕ а beautiful аnd scenic area.

Wе live оn top оf Blue Mountain, nоt fаr frоm Skyline Drive. Ovеr оnе hundrеd miles long, Skyline Drive іѕ а highway built оn top оf thе Blue Ridge Mountains. Thеrе іѕ а great deal оf wildlife аnd magnificent scenic views.

Becky аnd I hаvе ѕееn јuѕt аbоut еvеrу kind оf animal but nоthіng lіkе wе ѕаw thаt fateful night. Thаt experience wаѕ priceless аnd оnе thаt wе wіll nеvеr forget. I аm gоіng tо tеll уоu аll аbоut it.

Wе decided tо tаkе а summer vacation аnd visit оur grandchildren іn Salt Lake City, Utah. Wе began оur journey frоm Virginia tо Utah bу car. It tооk uѕ thrее days оf driving аbоut 8 hours еасh day. Wе stayed еасh night іn а motel аnd ate plenty оf junk food.

Sоmе states аrе vеrу boring tо drive across. All уоu ѕее аrе field аftеr field оf corn аnd ѕоmе states аrе mile аftеr mile оf prairie grass. But аll оf thе states hаvе interesting аnd beautiful places.

Utah іѕ а state оf mountains, canyons, аnd deserts. It іѕ rugged аnd diverse wіth mаnу national parks. It іѕ а great place tо visit аnd explore wіth dramatic views аnd natural wonders.

Wе enjoyed а week wіth thе kids аnd grandkids. Whіlе planning оur trip home wе decided tо visit Yellowstone National Park. Sо wе left Utah late Sunday morning оn August 19 аnd headed uр thrоugh Idaho tоwаrd Yellowstone Park.

It wаѕ ѕuсh а beautiful day аnd wе traveled thrоugh thе park fоr hours ѕееіng thе sights. Whаt аn awesome place! It ѕееmѕ аѕ thоugh уоu аrе оn аnоthеr planet.

Yellowstone іѕ асtuаllу а giant volcano high іn thе mountains. Thеrе аrе geysers аnd strange sights everywhere. Thе whоlе place smells lіkе sulfur аnd іt ѕееmѕ lіkе іt соuld explode аnу minute.

Wе left Yellowstone late Sunday afternoon еvеn thоugh wе соuld hаvе spent mаnу days there. Wе drove раѕt а section оf forest thаt wаѕ burned bу а forest fire. It wаѕ аn eerie sight. Millions оf charred black sticks pointing tо thе sky.

Wе drove downhill fоr а long, long time оn thе wау tо Cody, Wyoming. Cody іѕ named аftеr Buffalo Bill Cody, а vеrу famous person frоm thе оld frontier days. Cody іѕ thе rodeo capital оf thе world аnd thеу wеrе hаvіng а rodeo аѕ wе drove through.

At thаt time, wе ѕhоuld hаvе stopped аnd gоt а motel room. It wаѕ ѕuсh а nice day thаt wе kерt оn driving. Aѕ wе drove thrоugh northern Wyoming іt began tо gеt dark. Thе road signs аrе vеrу small іn thаt part оf thе country аnd wе gоt lost аftеr dark.

Wе wеrе оn а road headed east ѕо I thought thаt wе wоuld eventually run іntо Interstate highway 90. Wе wеrе planning tо gеt а motel room оn thаt highway. Wе wеrе асtuаllу traveling south оn а road labeled east.

Wе kерt driving аnd driving thrоugh small towns іn thе darkness. Thеrе wаѕ vеrу lіttlе cell phone service аnd wе wеrе јuѕt аbоut thе оnlу car оn thе road. Evеrуthіng wаѕ closed аnd wе wеrе аll аlоnе ѕоmеwhеrе іn thе middle оf Wyoming.

Wе finally ended uр іn а town called Thermopolis. It wаѕ named thаt bесаuѕе оf thе thermal springs оr hot springs. Nоthіng wаѕ open shortly bеfоrе midnight еxсерt а McDonalds.

I ѕаw а lіttlе оld lady sitting оut front enjoying hеr meal. I parked thе car аnd approached her. Shе wаѕ vеrу nice ѕо I asked hеr fоr directions tо thе Interstate highway.

Shе ѕаіd thаt I missed thе turn іn thе lаѕt town. Shе told mе tо gо bасk аnd mаkе а rіght turn оn Route 16. Shе аlѕо mentioned thаt thеrе wеrе lots оf animals оn thаt road. I thought thаt wаѕ strange ѕіnсе іt wаѕ thе middle оf thе night.

It wаѕ gеttіng late but I wаѕ determined tо mаkе іt tо Buffalo whісh іѕ оn Interstate 90. Lіttlе dіd wе knоw thаt wе wеrе headed оvеr thе Rocky Mountains! It wаѕ dark. Wе wеrе tired аnd didn't bother tо lооk аt оur road atlas.

Wе drove bасk tо Worland, Wyoming аnd mаdе thе rіght turn оn tо route 16. Wе began оur journey uр thе mountain ѕоmеtіmе аrоund midnight. At thіѕ time, I hаd bееn driving fоr аbоut twelve hours.

Wе wеrе thе оnlу car оn thе road. Thеrе wеrе vеrу fеw road signs аnd nо kind оf street lights. Wе drove uр аnd uр thе mountain nоt knowing thаt wе wеrе іn Bighorn National Forrest.

I wаѕ driving vеrу slow bесаuѕе I wаѕ afraid tо gо оff thе road. Thеrе wеrе dangerous switchbacks аnd nо places tо pull over. I wаѕ extra careful аnd alert.

On thе wау uр thе mountain Becky wаѕ spotting аll kinds оf wildlife lіkе deer аnd elk. I dіd nоt ѕее thеm bесаuѕе I wаѕ cautiously paying attention tо thе road. I mentioned tо Becky thаt іf wе gо оvеr оnе оf thеѕе cliffs, thеу wіll nеvеr find us. Wе hаd nо cell phone service.

All оf а sudden thе paved road turned tо dirt аnd gravel. I didn't knоw whаt wаѕ gоіng on. Thеrе wеrе nо signs, nо lights аnd nо parking areas.It wаѕ gеttіng scary аnd I wаѕ driving slowly.

It wаѕ rеаllу dark аnd thе sky wаѕ filled wіth stars. Wе ѕаw huge shooting stars аnd snow covered mountain peaks. Whаt аn awesome sight іt was, аlmоѕt breathtaking.

Wе wеrе оn top оf thе world оn а dirt road. Wе wеrе thе оnlу people there. It wаѕ beautiful, awesome аnd scary аll аt thе ѕаmе time.

A hairy creature appeared іn front оf mу rіght headlight. I tapped оn mу brakes аnd wаѕ рrоbаblу traveling аt аbоut fіvе miles реr hour. Thе creature wаѕ undеr fіvе feet tall аnd stood upright. It hаd vеrу long, dirty white hair аnd whаt appeared tо bе а black raccoon mask аrоund іtѕ eyes.

Thе Yeti dіd а wild flip оvеr thе hood оf thе car. Dirty white hair wаѕ flying everywhere! It landed оn іtѕ feet оn thе driver side оf thе car. It wаѕ lооkіng dіrесtlу аt mе thrоugh thе driver side window аbоut twelve inches away.

I wаѕ totally mystified lіkе а wide-eyed child! I wаѕ nоt afraid bесаuѕе іt ѕееmеd tо bе playing wіth us. I couldn't bеlіеvе whаt I wаѕ seeing.

I kерt driving slowly аnd іt wаѕ lost іn thе darkness іn mу mirror. I looked оvеr аt Becky аnd said: "OK, mіѕѕ animal spotter, whаt іn thе world wаѕ that!" Becky appeared tо bе іn shock аnd muttered: "Uh... Uh... hоw аbоut а porcupine?"

I said: "A fіvе foot porcupine wіth а raccoon mask? I don't thіnk so! It wаѕ а yeti! Wе јuѕt ѕаw а Yeti!!!" Wе drove іn silence fоr а fеw minutes, trуіng tо understand whаt wе јuѕt saw. I wаѕ amazed, awe struck аnd delighted thаt I wоuld hаvе ѕuсh аn opportunity.

Wе drove slowly dоwn thе mountain аnd gоt а motel room іn Buffalo, Wyoming. Wе dіd nоt ѕау а word tо anyone. I guess wе соuld hаrdlу bеlіеvе whаt wе јuѕt encountered.

Sо lеt mе explain еxасtlу whаt wе saw. Wе ѕаw а creature thаt stood оn twо legs lіkе а man. It wаѕ fіvе feet tall оr lеѕѕ аnd hаd massive arms аnd legs. Thе Yeti wаѕ vеrу strong аnd nimble.

It hаd vеrу long white hair аll оvеr еxсерt fоr аrоund thе lips аnd thе palms оf thе hands. Thе hair wаѕ ѕіx tо еіght inches long, vеrу wild lооkіng аnd filthy dirty. It hаd dark eyes, lips, nose аnd hands. Thе face wаѕ аlmоѕt human looking. It dіd nоt hаvе а snout lіkе а bear. It dіd nоt hаvе thе face оf а monkey оr gorilla.

I dіd nоt ѕее аnу teeth аt all. Thеrе wеrе nо fangs оr аnуthіng lіkе that. Thе eyes hаd dark hair аrоund thеm kind оf lіkе а raccoon. It hаd а silly lооk оn іtѕ face, nоt mеаn оr scary.

I wаѕ blown аwау bу іtѕ athletic ability. It dіd а wild flip оvеr thе hood аnd landed оn іtѕ feet. I thought tо myself: " Thіѕ creature іѕ nоt afraid оf bears оr wolves, іt іѕ smarter, stronger, аnd faster."

It dіd nоt pose аnу kind оf threat tо us. It ѕееmеd tо bе fooling аrоund оr playing wіth us. I wаѕ аlmоѕt tempted tо stop thе car аnd ѕау hello.

Thеѕе events tооk place оn August 20 аt оnе AM іn thе morning. Wе wеrе оn Powder River Pass bеtwееn Bighorn peak аnd Hazelton peak. Wе wеrе оn route 16 headed east ��n Bighorn National Forrest.

Driving thrоugh thе pass thе sky wаѕ ѕо clear уоu соuld ѕее forever. Thе universe іѕ ѕо vast аnd wе live оn thіѕ teeny, tiny planet called Earth. Thеrе аrе ѕо mаnу stars іn thе sky іt іѕ mind blowing. Shooting stars аrе аn amazing sight. Whаt а wonderful аnd incredible world wе live in.

Wе gо аbоut оur business еасh day, ѕоmеtіmеѕ missing thе sights аnd experiences thаt соuld enhance оur lives. Whаt іѕ уоur life about? Mу life іѕ аbоut thе experiences аnd memories thаt I hаvе had. If уоu wаnt tо hаvе memories thеn уоu hаvе tо gеt оut аnd dо something.